# 2 Who becomes a leader?

> ‘The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born.’

(Warren Bennis, quoted in Burney and Matherly, 2008, p. 51)

As we have seen, many leaders – such as Martin Luther King and Lady Jane Campbell – find themselves embarking on a leadership journey as a response to personal experiences of discrimination or injustice. Others begin their journey through more traditional means of career progression, moving from the front line to management and leadership positions over time. Everyone’s journey is unique and will reflect the sort of person they are and the life experiences they have had.

Figure 4: Greta Thunberg on her school strike for climate.

For others, their leadership journey begins in very different ways. When Greta Thunberg started her climate strike protest in August 2018 in response to the lack of action from political leaders on the global climate crisis, she wasn’t in a position of authority. She had no management responsibilities and no desire for leadership. Yet within a year, she had become the unlikely leader of a global movement. Greta cared passionately about climate change, and that passion led her on a leadership journey which was to take her right across the world and into the consciences of millions of people. She illustrates why caring is such a fundamental element of leadership and a driver for getting things done. Her concern for the planet and her care for her peers and future generations underpins her actions.

In her book, No one is too small to make a difference, Thunberg (2019) demonstrates powerful personal awareness. She is clear about her limitations in terms of authoritative position, but equally clear about where her potential power and influence does lie. Having been elevated to her unanticipated position of leadership, she uses her growing public platform to lead by example: crossing the Atlantic in a sailboat, for instance, and following a vegan diet. In this way she takes small steps towards her vision and encourages others to follow.

Activity 2 explores another example of a leadership journey emerging in unexpected ways.

## Activity 2 Unlikely leaders?

Watch Video 1, which introduces José Galindez, an asylum-seeker in the UK who set up free classes to teach English in his local community:

As you watch, reflect on how people describe José and his current leadership journey:

- What skills does he bring with him?
- What challenges does he face?
- Who helps him along the way?

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Video 1 Introducing José
Transcript
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### Discussion

José is described as ‘open’, ‘passionate’ and ‘real’, a person who people are ‘drawn to’. He voluntarily runs English language classes for the local community. He receives no funding and is not allowed to take paid employment or claim benefits while waiting for his asylum claim.

Having left everything behind himself, he is now working towards other people’s futures, even though he can’t see his own future path, as his asylum application is still on hold.

Undoubtedly, his faith will play a role in his leadership journey, but drawing on passion he sees in others is also key. The importance of his flexible and non-hierarchical approach is mentioned by others who work with him, which has the effect of drawing people into the community so they can find their passion, their role and their responsibility too. The fact that José isn’t an official leader perhaps made it easier for him and others to be pulled along by his enthusiasm. Running classes and supporting others isn’t actually his official responsibility – it sort of grew around him – and he uses his leadership to delegate roles to those who have the skills, resources or power he himself lacks.

You don’t know José’s leadership journey prior to this point. You met him when he had no formal job, no means of support, very little personal security and was fleeing persecution. Yet, even in these unlikely circumstances, he found himself with an opportunity to learn and develop as a leader, helped along by others around him who saw his potential, shared his vision and wanted to help him reach his goal. This shows that there is a lot more to leadership than the position an individual holds.

OpenLearn - Approaching leadership with care
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